Finally, the royal capital of Aegis Shield Country, Lyons, is in sight. First of all, we are planning to visit the Allied Forces Operation Headquarters that has been set up there. This is the place where we have the most information at this point in time, even if it's only a few minutes. 

　And in the evening, we managed to slip in. 

"I heard about military self-propelled vehicles that can run even without roads, but I didn't expect them to be faster than horses even on rough roads... Ryota-dono has an amazing self-propelled vehicle, 

　Dominic's face was pale, as if he was suffering from a severe case of car sickness. But his words and posture are precise. 

'I'll get you some anti-seizure medication, but the ride through the Speckled Forest will be even more bumpy. Be prepared. 

　Mr. Dominic looked away for just a moment, but immediately returned and nodded vigorously. He nods vigorously, his firm resolve evident, and this will not slow us down. I went into the operations center as soon as possible, but Dominique passed my face and let me through to the headquarters right away. 

★Operation Room 

　When we entered the headquarters of the operation, Dominic-san introduced us to him, saying that we had received a direct request from King Alp and Count Serra, and that he wanted us to help him whenever possible. 

(Lady Sailor had been elevated from Viscount to Count as early as possible.) 

　However, the strike force has not yet been assembled. Most of their faces are also diplomats and intelligence officers. The main topic of discussion is not the operation to defeat the enemy, but rather negotiations with the newborn Kingdom of Ares. It seems that the scouts are also working at the same time, but they haven't produced any results yet. 

　At that time, an unexpected person appeared. 

''Ryota-san, it's been a while.'' 

'Oh?　Hey, Palio!　I haven't seen you since the Dark Kobold incident. You don't seem to be here, Tena, but how is Mr. Palio, who is training to be an exterminator, here? 

　When he came to Aigis Shield Country, Palio, the one who took on the capture of bandits and the extermination of the Dark Kobolds with him. But why is he in the operations room? 

　If you look more closely, you can see the military attire.  

Ah, Thena is still a student at the Academy of Magic. She's still a student at the magic academy, doing some actual fighting with the extermination, and then going to the academy to learn and strengthen the techniques she thinks she needs, and so on. Instead of waiting for Thena to graduate, my father is going to give me a job. 

　Palio's father is a great man in the royal palace. 

　I'm jealous that he has a job by marriage. 

That makes sense. But if you're offering me a job, I'd rather earn a good income in the army than as an exterminator.　Are you doing this for........Tena? 

　Depending on the country, there are no female military officers in the Aigis Shield State. 

　A long time ago, a military officer from the suzerain state of Olin oracle state caused a s*xual harassment incident against a female resident military officer in Aigis shield state. Since then, due to budgetary constraints, all female military personnel were transferred to the security apparatus. Therefore, most of the patrolmen on Aigis are women. 

　Also, if you're the daughter of a high ranking royal court official, it's usually a political marriage. However, in that case, the partner's appearance, character and age are determined by the balance of the family size. In the worst case, you don't even have a choice. 

'No, no, it's true that Thena asked me to do this, but military life is a tight squeeze for me. My father gave Thena permission, but he's terribly shy, and he was worried that it would be dangerous for him to be alone with a woman... Oops, I'll help you gather more information than that. 

　I'm sure it's better than being a mercenary, but exterminators can also hit some of their lowly (prickly) friends. Extermination itself is a dangerous job to begin with. It's safer to have an older brother who's good at his job. 

　Also, Palio-kun seems to have rather high authority, so he is free to take out materials, and he invited me to explain in the break room. Again, I meet someone I haven't seen in a long time. 

''Isn't it Ryota-san!　It's been a while. 

　Shit!　I remember his face, but I can't remember his name! 

'Hahaha, you forgot your name on that face, didn't you?　I'm Dr. Burrus of the Berta Urban Confederation and the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to you, I was promoted to the general manager of the Alps. I heard that Ryota-san also did a great job in this license examination which is very encouraging for me. 

　In addition, we introduce Manya and say hello to Midia and Window Flowers. As expected, Dominic-san seems to know both Bulls-san and Palio-kun, so he just raises his hand briefly. 

　First, everyone is seated around the round table in the break room. He says it's a round table in the common room because he's careful not to bring his rank into the room. Aside from that, I heard a brief explanation of the current situation from Palio-kun, and decided to get right into the main topic. 

''May I get right to the point?　Well, I guess it's almost a question. 

　It's rude for me, an exterminator, to be the divider, but they didn't seem to have any objections, and they all nodded in agreement. 

It's a good idea to have a large number of bandits that can be called an army. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. I'm sure there is a way out if the number of people continue to increase. But the roads have already been blocked off. Have you investigated this supply and personnel route? 

　I've heard about it, but I think they naturally suspect there is, and I think it's already working. What I really want to hear is how far you went. But I tried to be careful. 

"Yes, sir, our intelligence and scouting teams are working on it. Now, Mr. Palio, the archivist, will give you a briefing on the current situation. 

　With regard to the disclosure of the content of the information, Mr. Palio has clarified his position and name and made his responsibilities clear. It's an act of guaranteeing information, but if there's a leak of information or a mistake in the content, Palio-kun will be held accountable... 

　I've been remiss in remembering that this is a military facility. I should have told him first that I didn't need the official name. But it's too late now, I'll pull myself together and listen to the explanation. 

Summary of Palio-kun's explanation 

Aegis and the Arps have jointly stepped up surveillance. From the Great Ares Mountains to Aigis is completely under control.　　 

Breakthrough transportation through the Mottled Forest is also dangerous and unlikely. Even if it were possible, the amount of supply will be limited due to the terrain. We have checked with the residents, but there are no witnesses to date. 

We have infiltrated the new Ares Empire and are still monitoring the port and land routes. However, we have not seen any such activity. 

　In summary, this is how it looks like. 

　It seems that Aigis is also suspicious of the new Ares Kingdom. 

　They have sent out secret reconnaissance teams to monitor the harbor, the land routes, and all over the Pillay Mountains. The surface of the Mottled Forest is also being investigated, and it seems that a secret agent is also hiding in the capital of the new Ares Principality. 

　According to the latest information, the number of bandits is around 4,000 and still growing. However, there is no evidence of any supplies or personnel being sent out to the new Ares Imperial State. Also, there is no market fluctuation in supplies. 

　Although it can't be said to be a certainty, if not even traces can be found, supply from the Ares imperial kingdom is unlikely. 

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future. However, if you gather supplies in such a place, you will be attacked by a large army of demons. If we were to put a guard, it would be at least a battalion size. It's just a matter of devouring the supplies themselves. 

　If that were the case, they would be extending supply lines from other sources.